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Re: 3 weeks old and not sleeping alone

I highly appreciate all of your responses. We purchased a Halo wrap for her to sleep in tonight. Purchased a swing and we are going to give her Soy Formula here and there to ensure she is satisfied. I have only been on this site for 24 hours and already I am finding out how supportive other mothers around the world are. I love being apart of this site. Thank you all for your support!

Re: 3 weeks old and not sleeping alone

babies grow so much in the first few weeks they are growing and need mom. it is hard to expect them to sleep sound and alone.. If co sleeping isn't a option, I would try a bassinet next to the bed and swaddling.. In my opinion I would always remind myself they just spent 9 some months listening to your heartbeat and hearing your sounds it will take some time for them to sleep without still hearing it..

Re: 3 weeks old and not sleeping alone

Great advice from pp!! I also thought I'd never co-sleep with my babies but at the beginning it helped me get some sleep. Newborn babies LOVE to sleep next to their mamas and feel your warmth and your mama smell. Co-sleeping was not my favorite aspect of having a newborn but now I look back and totally cherish those moments. Try and enjoy it because it doesn't last but a short time. The older the baby gets the easier it is to get them to sleep on their own for longer periods of time. Mine were sleeping on their own when they were about 4-5 months old. Every baby and mom is different and your baby might sleep on their own before that- I just had a laid back approach to it and let my baby tell me when they were ready. I knew they were ready when sleeping with them caused them to wake up more often to want to nurse even if they weren't hungry. After I stopped sleeping with them and put them in a different room to sleep they slept really well. I think the smell of milk was waking them up Good Luck, I totally know what you are going through!!

Collin born 4/27/08 by C-Section- BF for 15 months

Conner born 8/28/09 by VBAC- BF for 2 years and hopefully will wean soon!!

Re: 3 weeks old and not sleeping alone

Originally Posted by @llli*brecarter27

I highly appreciate all of your responses. We purchased a Halo wrap for her to sleep in tonight. Purchased a swing and we are going to give her Soy Formula here and there to ensure she is satisfied. I have only been on this site for 24 hours and already I am finding out how supportive other mothers around the world are. I love being apart of this site. Thank you all for your support!

Out of curiosity, why the formula? It won't necessarily help her sleep through the night and it could ruin your supply and compromise the rest of your breastfeeding efforts.

Re: 3 weeks old and not sleeping alone

Out of curiosity, why the formula? It won't necessarily help her sleep through the night and it could ruin your supply and compromise the rest of your breastfeeding efforts.

I agree! Why the formula? A newborn that won't sleep except in arms is NORMAL (believe me, I feel your pain, I had one myself! he wouldn't sleep in the bassinet at the hospital!). No need for formula, and supplementation can be a slippery slope - it reduces your supply, you supplement more, it reduces your supply even more, until soon you're formula feeding. And the thing is, it doesn't even help with the sleep for most people. So, IMO, not worth it.

You can call me JoMo!

Mom to baby boy Joe, born 5/4/09 and breastfed for more than two and a half years, and baby girl Maggie, born 7/9/12.

Re: 3 weeks old and not sleeping alone

Mama your little one's just getting acclimated to the brand new world and you're the most comfortable thing about the new world she knows.

I went the co-sleeping way and I'm ignorant of ways to get your little one in the crib. But I've read a lot of troublesome articles that say sleep training a little one before they're at least 2-3 months old can be counter-productive, so please do some in-depth research about the effects of early sleep training.

Wife to DH February 17, 2004.First time mom to my precious baby girl, welcomed to this world August 3, 2009!
Birth: 6 lbs. 6 oz. and 18.5"
6 months: 14 lbs. 14.5 oz. and 26"
1 year: 20 lbs. and 30"
Woohoo! We made it one year!

Re: 3 weeks old and not sleeping alone

Originally Posted by @llli*joe.s.mom

I agree! Why the formula? A newborn that won't sleep except in arms is NORMAL (believe me, I feel your pain, I had one myself! he wouldn't sleep in the bassinet at the hospital!). No need for formula, and supplementation can be a slippery slope - it reduces your supply, you supplement more, it reduces your supply even more, until soon you're formula feeding. And the thing is, it doesn't even help with the sleep for most people. So, IMO, not worth it.

I agree about the not helping with sleep part. I was having to supplement with formula in the beginning, until I could build up my milk supply. I saw no difference in the length of sleep when I was giving a bottle of formula vs. giving a bottle of breastmilk vs. breastfeeding.

Re: 3 weeks old and not sleeping alone

I agree with kst.7399, its not about the mom anymore. There are just sacrifices we make because we love our babies. One other thing i would add. If one is too sleep deprived, your body and mind are functioning as if you were drunk, and that is NOT safe for any mom of an infant, co sleeping or otherwise. So I feel co-sleeping is the best option as one can breastfeed lying down and the both of you can rest and get some decent sleep. I have done it with all my 3 babies and I know there were many nights my daughter fed without me even waking up totally. (She was a dream to feed...the other two were/are nightmares!) I wouldn't worry about the safety as long as you are not over-tired. Its when you are over tired (or drunk) that problems with co-sleeping can happen...like rolling over and not realizing it.
good luck. This will eventually pass!